FLORENCE, Ala.—The University of North Alabama has chosen HPM to oversee construction of the campus’s new Bank Independent Stadium. Baseball, soccer and football will all be played at the stadium, which is expected to be up and running for those sporting events in time for the 2026-2027 school year. Davis Architects will serve as architect-of-record for the sports-and-entertainment complex, which will stand where the school’s current turf field, Mike D. Lane Field and a grass practice field are located.

HPM will provide preconstruction services including budgeting, design management, contract negotiation and risk assessment. The design phase, anticipated to be completed later this year, will be followed by a more detailed construction and cost plan.

“The forthcoming Bank Independent Stadium is an exciting addition to our extensive portfolio of sports and recreation projects across the country, and we have seen immense demand for these types of facilities in Alabama as our state’s population continues to grow,” HPM Vice President of Program Development Ben Henson said of the stadium project. “We’re looking forward to working alongside the University of North Alabama to deliver this highly anticipated multipurpose facility, which will serve as a transformative community venue and a catalyst for Florence’s burgeoning growth story.”

Added Evan Thornton, UNA CFO and Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs at the university: “We are excited about this next step in the process of seeing the Bank Independent Stadium come to life at the University of North Alabama. HPM and Davis Architects will be tremendous assets to us as we embark on this historic project.”

Among HPM’s many other notable educational performance venue projects are several for the University of Alabama as well as Daniel Meyer Coliseum and Lupton Baseball Field at Texas Christian University.

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MANOR, Tex.—Program management firm HPM has successfully delivered two new schools in the Austin suburbs for the Manor Independent School District. Ribbon-cuttings were recently held to celebrate the new schools, Manor Rise Academy and Manor Early College High School.

Manor Rise Academy is a $45 million, 116,000-square-foot school whose amenities include a competition gym that can seat up to 500 spectators. Manor Rise also offers a media center, art rooms, performing arts classrooms and collaboration areas. The grounds host various athletic fields as well as playgrounds and outdoor learning areas. The Rise Academy was designed by ADM Group and built by general contractor Lee Lewis.

Meanwhile, the $35.5 million Manor Early College High School encompasses 85,000 square feet of educational space located adjacent to the existing high school. The facility will educate 800 9-12 students in various technical and career fields. Its open campus concept is meant to mimic the experience of being at an actual college, with a coffee shop and cafeteria also available for students. Claycomb Associates designed Manor Early College High School, which was built by general contractor Satterfield & Pontikes.

Voters approved a $280 million bond in November 2019 to fund these construction projects, which were needed as Texas’s capital region is experiencing tremendous growth. The moneys are being used both to construct new schools as well as upgrade older facilities, modernize transportation and security, and make other needed repairs throughout Manor ISD.

HPM provided quality control and preconstruction services for both schools, as well as project management and budget compliance. Other partners at the two schools included civil engineer Civiltude and geotechnical engineer Raba Kistner.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the pair of schools, HPM President Ryan Austin praised his team for keeping the construction work on schedule.

“We thank the school district for its invaluable support and collaboration during these projects, and to our partners for ensuring success in the construction of these schools,” said Austin. “As we move ahead on additional projects with the school district, we look forward to providing more quality program management services as we expand our footprint further into Manor.”

Manor ISD is anticipated to increase its enrollment by nearly 5 percent in the next decade alone. Current projections show that the greater Austin area will surpass San Antonio in population by 2040. Already the community of Manor—12 miles outside of Austin itself—has experienced a 160 percent population growth just since 2010. Manor ISD is anticipating an increase of 2,600 more students in its district within the next half-decade.

HPM, which is based in Birmingham, Ala., engages in construction and design, as well as real estate acquisition analysis, auditing and facilities assessments. In addition to K-12, the firm is engaged in work in such sectors as government, industrial and commercial construction.

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MANOR, Tex.—The Manor Independent School District recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the district’s new K-8 technology campus. School officials were joined by representatives of architect ADM Group, Inc., construction manager at risk Lee Lewis Construction Inc. and planning designer HPM.

As part of a $280 million bond package approved by voters in 2019, the Manor Independent School District is making improvements throughout its purview to accommodate an increasing student population. This also necessitated the new technology campus.

The new campus will entail 40 acres, and its 116,000-square-foot building will host 800 children.  The school’s amenities will include athletic facilities and seating for 500 spectators, as well as art rooms, media center and various flexible classrooms and outdoors learning spaces.

“Not only is this a momentous occasion for Manor ISD because it marks the first step in building a new state-of-the-art facility for our district’s scholars, but it is groundbreaking because it will be the first campus of its kind in our region,” Dr. Andre D. Spencer, Manor ISD’s superintendent, said in a recent statement. “This campus will serve K-8 students under one roof, which is a rare educational model in the public school system in our state. We are excited about the many proven benefits of this model, including lower levels of anxiety among middle schoolers.”

Program manager HPM is providing quality control, preconstruction services, schedule maintenance and project management for the tech campus.

“HPM is proud to lead Manor ISD and our project partners through the development of this exciting project,” Andrew Betts, HPM senior program manager, said. “This campus will provide a unique opportunity to incorporate technology and interactive learning within nine levels of education, all on one campus.

“The ceremony is a symbol of Manor ISD’s commitment to providing the best educational resources for the scholars within this community.”

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Making an ambitious entrée into the world of culinary education, a unique new facility at Auburn University is taking hands-on learning to new heights for aspiring chefs and hospitality leaders. The university chose program management firm HPM to serve as the construction manager for the Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, a groundbreaking, dual-purpose building that will house a learning environment blended with a luxury boutique hotel, restaurant and food hall.

In this role, HPM is providing project management support for Auburn’s Facilities Management Administration in the ongoing construction of the world-class educational and hospitality facility, drawing on its years of experience leading hotel and higher education projects across the U.S. Designed by Cooper Carry, the fresh facility aims to be ready for students in the fall of 2022.

Located at the corner of East Thach Avenue and South College Street in downtown Auburn, Alabama, the 142,000-square-foot complex will facilitate hands-on, immersive learning experiences for students pursuing careers in hospitality and culinary sciences. Through the addition of classrooms, demonstration and food production laboratories, a brewing science center, and new teaching restaurant on the property, students will be able to train alongside some of the world’s leading chefs and hospitality experts. Those rare opportunities will play an invaluable role in equipping students with vital skills that will help position them as future leaders in the culinary and hospitality industries.

The luxury hotel portion of the project is seeking to achieve the AAA Five Diamond certification, an extremely elusive title that is given to less than half of one percent of the 27,000 hotels evaluated annually. The ability for students to learn in a hands-on culinary facility and work in a Five Diamond hotel is an experience that no other institution in the country currently offers. HPM previously served as the owner’s representative during construction of a $35 million AAA Five Diamond Hotel in Houston, Texas, which has provided the university with unique insight on the high-caliber design and quality execution that is required to achieve the coveted honor.

Since joining the project, HPM has provided value to the university, including scoping out and managing the bidding of a separate utility and enabling works package for the building contractor, which bypassed time-intensive utility relocations and kept the overall project schedule on track. The firm’s dedication to collaborative pre-planning and ability to deploy best practices gleaned from managing other complex projects in higher education and hospitality have enabled project partners to maintain budget efficiency and create additional value for the university.

“Auburn’s Culinary Science Center is a great fit for us because of our extensive resume in providing program management leadership on other high-profile hospitality and higher education initiatives,” said HPM President Ryan Austin. “With so many moving parts involved in a project of this size and scope, it’s crucial to have a seasoned owner’s representative that can quickly create and implement processes to keep things moving while maintaining cost efficiency for the university. We’re honored to partner with Auburn on building this state-of-the-art facility and look forward to its completion.”

Construction on The Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center began in April 2020. Auburn alumnus and Board of Trustees member Jimmy Rane helped kickstart the project with a $12 million gift dedicated to the building’s construction. The board later approved naming the facility in honor of his parents, Tony and Libba Rane.

HPM provides comprehensive planning, design and construction-related experiences in order to offer clients a one-stop approach to complete program management and owner’s representation.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of a feature that initially appeared in the March/April 2022 issue of School Construction News.

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